No doubt about it: the man’s stamina is matched only by his ambition. Valery
Gergiev’s marathon press conference at the Russian Embassy this week was
even longer than his new recording of the Leningrad Symphony. It was
11am when we shuffled into this splendid Kensington edifice (almost as grand
as the old British Embassy in Moscow) and 12.40pm when the maestro of the
Mariinsky stopped talking. No wonder that the Russian Ambassador felt the
need to crack open a few dozen bottles of prosecco afterwards.

In fairness, what Gergiev had to say was enthralling. His musical empire, the
biggest in